Who Do You Love?
by SammiDammiXoX
Summary: A modern day fan fiction. Jack is in love with Rose, and would do anything for her, and anything to win her heart. But, what Jack doesn't realise is someone loves him to, someone that's not Rose. One of his close friends since freshman year, Paige Thompson. Will Jack reveal his true feelings for Rose? Most importantly, will Paige ever reveal her true feelings for Jack?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Hey guys! It's been a long time since i've posted a new story. I've been working on this one for about 4 months now, and have about a dozen chapters written already. I've rated this story T but there are also going be many cases where strong language is used, especailly in a few chapters to come, just a warning! I've also incorporated a few fictional characters of my own, such as 'Paige' 'Melissa' and 'Janelle'. These characters will all appear in future chapters, so you'll find out more about them soon enough. Don't worry, as of right now i beleive those are the only fictional characters of my own i've incorporated, though this story isn't complete yet. Every other character in this story has been taken from 'Titanic', but remember, this is a modern day fan fic, so i've changed their personalities to match that of a teenager today just a smidge. If you read this story please be sure to take a few minutes and leave me a review, let me know what you think and if you like it! Now enough of my rambling, here's chapter 1! Enjoy! xx **

Chapter 1

**Jack**

There was nobody in this world that Jack Dawson wanted more than Rose Dewitt Bukator. Rose, was in all honesty, the most beautiful girl that Jack had ever laid eyes on. She was petite, about 8 inches shorter than his 6'1, and she had an absolutely amazing figure. Her skin was pale, her complexion creamy and perfect, she had large olive green eyes and rosy red lips, and her hair; Jack adored her hair. Her beautiful fiery red locks that naturally tumbled down her back in waves.

Since Rose had arrived in Chippewa Falls two weeks previously, Jack had been spending as much time as he possibly could with her, everyday, every free moment the two had. He would walk her to her classes, and then meet her at her locker at break. During lunch hours on most days they would both go back to Rose's house as she lived slightly closer than Jack to the high school. During these lunch hours they would just hang out, laze around on her comfortable leather couch in the front room, listen to music, and talk. They were easily becoming best friends, but Jack wanted more. He wanted more than just Rose's friendship. He wanted a relationship. He wanted to be able to call Rose his. There were so many times that he thought about the two of them together kissing, her perfect rosy red lips pressing gently against his own, holding her perfect body close to his. There were also many times that Jack thought Rose could possibly feel the same way about him, the way she sometimes looked at him.

Jack awoke on this particular morning ready for things to change. Ready to tell Rose Dewitt Bukator how he truly felt about her. He glanced at his alarm clock on the bedside table. '8:27am'

"Shit!" He muttered as he rolled out of bed. School started in exactly three minutes. He had overslept, which meant that he probably wouldn't get a chance to see Rose before homeroom.

He dashed to the bathroom, gave his teeth a quick scrub, and dashed back to his bedroom to get dressed. He pulled on a pair of faded blue jeans that were laying on the floor, and grabbed the first t-shirt he saw in his top dresser drawer, which was plain black. He pulled it over his head and grabbed his backpack off of the ground, swinging it onto his shoulder as he sprinted down the stairs and towards the front door. An old fashioned rectangular mirror hung on the wall next to the door, and Jack took a brief minute to check himself out in it. His overgrown shaggy blonde hair was hanging in his baby blue eyes, and his cheeks were flushed from rushing around. He suddenly realised that he had not brushed his hair, but there was no time. He pulled open the front door, locked it up behind him, and dashed off to school.

When he arrived, homeroom had ended and it was almost time for the first period of the day to begin. Jack didn't have class, but he knew that Rose did, she had science with Mr. Solitere. The only reason Jack even came to school in the morning when he really didn't have to, was to see Rose before, and even during her class when she would take her 15-25 minute bathroom breaks.

He caught sight of her then, she was standing at her locker, retrieving her books for class. He walked over to her quickly, eager to have a few minutes to talk with her before the bell rang.

"Hey Rose."

Rose closed her locker door and turned towards him.

"Oh, hey Jackie!" She replied with a stunning smile that lit up her whole face and made her olive green eyes sparkle.

She looked absolutely gorgeous today, as she always did. She was wearing a pair of white jeans with large rips in both knees, a belt with a neon pink heart buckle, a plain black t-shirt that showed off the bottom of her stomach, and that had the band name 'Escape the Fate' written across the chest, and a black toque on her head. Her fiery red hair was poker straight today, and her bangs were blunt, straight across her forehead.

"How's it going?" He asked her, returning the smile.

"Great! I'm exhausted though."

"Same, I slept in this morning."

"If you slept in, you have absolutely no right to be exhausted!" Rose exclaimed laughing, and punching his arm playfully.

The bell rang then, signalling the start of class and cutting their conversation short.

"Aw, crap! I'm late." Rose muttered.

"Bathroom break in ten?" Jack asked hopefully.

Rose smiled, "sure thing. See you then!"

With that, Jack watched as she raced down the hallway and around the corner to science.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Hey guys! Here's chapter 2. It's a rather short chapter, but that's only because it was meant to introduce the character of Paige, and how she feels about Jack, Rose, and herself. Just a warning for those who find strong language offensive, there one curse word in this chapter. Anyway, please remember to leave me a review! I would really appreciate everyone's feedback! I also love constructive critism, it can make a person an even better writer! Thanks, and enjoy! xx**

Chapter 2

**Paige**

There was nobody in this world that Paige Thompson wanted more than Jack Dawson. She couldn't really explain why, she had never felt this way about him before. Paige had known Jack since she had first moved to Chippewa falls when they had merely been freshmen. They had never been best friends or anything like that, but they had hung out together almost everyday, and he had always been extremely sweet to her.

Paige had never ever thought about him as boyfriend material though, at least, not until now. She had never found him particularly attractive either. Not when they had been 14, 15, or even 16, but now, there was something about him. Maybe it was the fact that they were seniors now, or perhaps it was the fact that he looked extremely attractive every single day now. Funny how she hadn't noticed before, how attractive he had really been.

She found Jack's smile contagious, and his laugh made her want to laugh, and his eyes were the most gorgeous eyes that she had ever seen in her young life, a bright shade of baby blue. She adored the way his eyes shone and sparkled like the ocean when he laughed, she hung on to every single word he spoke, and everything he said she found extremely interesting. There was nothing about this boy that wasn't perfect, Paige could find no flaws at all. Other than the fact that he did not seem to feel the same way about her.

She knew something was up between Jack and the new girl, Rose Dewitt-Bokatur or whatever the fuck her name was. Paige couldn't help but notice that they had been spending an awful lot of time together lately, and she also couldn't help but feel an enormous amount of jealousy. Jack was always giving Rose all of this attention, and ditching his normal group of friends, including Paige herself, to hang out with Rose during lunch hours and spares.

She saw the way that Jack looked at Rose, and so did everyone else. It was no secret to anyone that Jack had a huge thing for Rose. But why? Why Rose? This was the thing that Paige could not figure out, no matter how hard she tried. She could not find the answer.

Yes, Rose was extremely pretty, but, did that make her, Paige not pretty? No. Paige was sure she was just as pretty as Rose. She was short, with short dark hair, cut just above the shoulders, normally worn straight, big brown eyes, and a perfectly straight nose, that was pierced. Sure, they were different, but who really wants to be the same? Everyone has to be original. If everyone looked the same, and dressed the same, and talked the same, life would be an extreme bore.

Another reason that Paige couldn't understand Jack's massive crush on Rose, was because of the fact that Rose was three years younger than he. Rose was only a freshman. What the hell could Jack, a senior, possibly see in a freshman? And a freshman that didn't show much interest in him at all that way. He had a fellow senior girl, the same age as him, that had such strong feelings for him and Jack didn't even seem to realise it.

Or, perhaps he did realise it. Perhaps he just didn't feel the same way for Paige. Perhaps Rose would always be number one in Jack's eyes, and Paige would always be nothing more than just a friend. Perhaps there were no feelings for Paige whatsoever, and perhaps there never would be.

Thinking about this made Paige extremely sad. She didn't want to think about herself so negatively through Jack's eyes. But she couldn't help it. Not when he wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to Paige in that way at all.

If she was being honest with herself, there was no hope for her. Jack would never be hers, not as long as Rose Dewitt-Bukator was around.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Hey guys! Here's chapter 3, i hope you like it! Please remember to leave me some sort of review and let me know what you think, it would mean a lot, and would also encourage me to keep posting chapters, it's a proven fact that when reviews are left chapters get posted more quickly! (: thanks! xx**

Chapter 3

**Paige**

Paige sat at the top of the stairs alone. The first period of the day had just begun, and her and all of her friends had a spare now, but there seemed to be absolutely no one in sight. For something to do, she pulled her blackberry out of her hoodie pocket and connected to one of her many social networking sites.

Suddenly she heard feet on the stairs. _Oh thank god!_ She thought to herself. Although it had only been a minute and a half, she was already dying of boredom.

The first thing she saw as she glanced up from her blackberry was shaggy blonde hair, and instantly she knew it was Jack arriving. He looked at her as he approached with those piercing blue eyes, and her heart jumped out of her chest and into her throat. Her stomach, which was empty on account of having skipped breakfast, was suddenly full, with what could only be butterflies.

Paige tried to greet him, but her throat was suddenly blocked. Her mind went blank, her words gone... lost. _What was I going to say!? Oh dear god. What was I going to say!? Don't just sit here goggling at him with your mouth hanging open! Speak you fool! _She thought to herself silently. But she couldn't. She simply couldn't. She was panicking. But why? He was only a boy for crying out loud!

Jack dropped his backpack from his shoulders onto the ground next to her and sat down.

"Hey." He greeted her casually, pulling out his Ipod as he did so.

Paige sat there for a moment, staring at him, silent. Still tongue tied by his beauty. His gorgeous blue eyes, his gorgeous shaggy blonde hair, and his perfect features. Why couldn't she speak? Why couldn't she pull herself together, and at least attempt to act normal?

"Hi!" She finally managed to squeak, somewhat shrilly. Jack glanced up from his Ipod briefly and smiled at her in response, then went back to whatever game he was playing.

It was silent then. Paige just couldn't manage to pull herself together enough to start a conversation, even though she wanted to desperately. This was an extremely rare opportunity, getting Jack Dawson alone and all to herself with nobody else around. She wanted desperately to take advantage of this situation, to strike up a fun conversation that would allow Paige to get to know Jack a little bit better, to perhaps even flirt a little bit, and give him a few subtle, (very subtle) hints that she might be interested in him as more than just friends.

Unfortunately for Paige, his very presence had floored her. Her tongue would not work to form a coherent sentence no matter how hard she tried, and she was having some slight difficulty breathing.

So they sat there, in silence, awkwardly, for the next ten minutes.

**Jack**

It was silent at the top of the stairs, it had been for awhile now. This is usually where everyone hung out first thing in the morning, so Jack had made his way here after saying goodbye to Rose, but there was no one here. The only person that happened to be sitting here this morning was Paige.

So, Jack of course having nothing better to do, sat down next to her.

Jack and Paige had sort of been friends ever since they had been freshmen, they weren't best friends by any means, but Paige was always extremely nice to him, they hung out everyday, with the same group of friends, and whenever they could find something to talk about, the conversations could go on for quite awhile.

Paige was especially quiet this morning though. She had her blackberry out and was fiddling around with it, probably texting. He guessed she was probably tired, and didn't really feel like being social. Jack understood, and he didn't mind her silence. He could definitely relate to not feeling very sociable, that was the way he felt almost all the time, except when he was around Rose of course.

So, the silence continued, until Jack finally received a message on his ipod.

'Meet me at the bottom of the staircase. -ROSE'

Jack smiled to himself and stood up.

"Hey Paige, I'll be right back. I'm gonna leave my bag here though, could you just watch it for me?"

Paige looked up from her blackberry and gave him a small smile, "yeah, sure." she replied quietly, before looking back down at it.

"Cool, thanks!" and with that being said he raced down the steps.

Rose was sitting waiting on the bottom step, and Jack plunked himself down next to her. "Hey." He greeted her enthusiastically.

Rose looked over and gave him her most dazzling smile in response, making her lovely olive green eyes sparkle again. This was his favorite smile, a smile that always made him feel weak in the knees.

"How's class?"

"Boring. I absolutely hate Science."

"Me too, I'm decent at it though. If you ever needed any help or anything…" Jack trailed off, realising that what he was saying to her could be taken in one of the most offensive ways possible. It sounded like he was referring to Rose as stupid, which he wasn't trying to do at all! He was sure she was smart as well as very beautiful.

Thankfully, Rose didn't seem to take it in an offensive way at all. She smiled at him. "I would actually really like that Jack. I could use a bit of extra help. Science is definitely not my strongest subject."

Jack smiled brightly at her response. This could be great! This could mean more alone time to get to know each other a little bit better, even though Jack already felt he knew everything about her, even after only meeting two weeks previously. Maybe during one of these study sessions, would be the perfect time to start to confess feelings.

"I'd better get back to class before Solitere freaks." Rose said standing up quickly. "But I'll see you at break?"

"Yeah, definitely!" Jack replied.

"Cool." She said. She smiled her dazzling smile once again, and waving goodbye, she turned and headed back to class.

Jack stared after her retreating figure longingly.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Thank you to those who have been reviewing! Means a lot! Please keep your reviews coming. Reviews always boost confidence, and encourages me to keep writing and posting! In this chapter you will be briefly introduced to the character of Melissa. Please Read and Review! Thanks so much! xx**

Chapter 4

**Paige**

Paige was alone again, but not for long. In a matter of seconds, Paige and Jack's mutual friends, who happened to be a couple themselves, Helga Dahl and Fabrizio De Rossi appeared at the top of the stairs.

Fabrizio was a boy who had just recently moved to Chippewa Falls from Italy. His English wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible, and Paige was trying to learn Italian from him, which proved to be quite interesting. She had always wanted to learn another language, but just couldn't seem to find the time. So far she only had a few words down, but with some time and luck, she hoped that she would be able to have whole conversations with Fabrizio in his language. Fabrizio looked forward to this day to, when he would be able to speak his language with someone other than his own family. He'd confessed to Paige and Helga how much he missed Italy, but how America was great, and he planned to stay, at least until they graduated high school.

Helga had been living in Chippewa Falls since she had been 13 years old, just before their freshman year. She was a pretty girl of Norwegian background, with wavy blonde hair and eyes as blue as the sky.

Paige remembered that on Fabrizio's first day, Helga had practically thrown herself at him, and he, not speaking any English at all, had simply decided to go along with her. Following her around like a lost puppy dog, it was apparent that even though Fabrizio couldn't speak or understand English, he did understand how he felt about this pretty blonde Norwegian girl. Helga had told Paige how she thought it was love at first sight, and how she was sure they would be able to get past the language barrier. She was right of course, and she was the one who had helped him learn everything he knew about the English language, with their late night study sessions, which also probably involved a little bit more than just strictly studying.

"Hey Paige!" Helga greeted her enthusiastically as she took a seat next to her on the floor.

"Hey Helga, how's it going?" Paige questioned.

Her and Helga had only started talking when they had been sophomores, and the only reason they had started talking in the first place was because of Jack. They had become fast friends though, and had hung out together everyday since.

"Pretty good, I'm tired as hell though!" Helga replied leaning her head back against the wall.

Paige laughed, "I feel yah. I'm pretty much dead on my feet."

"But… you're not on your feet, you're sitting down." Helga responded with a smirk.

They looked at each other and both burst into a fit of giggles at this, proving just how tired they really were.

"Want some coffee?" Helga asked her once they had finally stopped laughing and had managed to catch their breath. She offered Paige her sterling silver coffee mug, and Paige took it gratefully.

"Thanks." She said before taking a small sip, and then setting the mug down in between herself and Helga.

Paige heard footsteps on the staircase, and her heart leapt into her throat again. She hoped it was Jack coming back to sit, he had been gone for awhile, and she loved spending time around him. Just being in his presence was an amazing feeling, even when he didn't say much.

She saw the shaggy blonde hair. It was Jack, and her heart hammered loudly in her chest as he approached. So loudly in fact that she was suddenly afraid somebody would be able to hear it. Of course she was being ridiculous, no one could hear it but her.

To her utter disappointment however, he announced; "I'm going to the library. See yah."

With that he grabbed his backpack off the floor, swung it over his shoulder and disappeared down the staircase once more.

"Heeeeey bitchessss! How's it hanging!?" Paige's best friend Melissa's voice called up the stairs, making her arrival known to all before anyone could even see her. She reached the top of the stairs a few minutes after her greeting was called, and took a seat across from Paige, Helga and Fabri.

Paige and Melissa had been best friends ever since elementary school, the fourth grade to be exact. Their families had been so close that they had both decided to move to Chippewa Falls right before freshman year of high school.

Melissa was blonde with pale blue eyes. She was crazy and loud, and funny, and anyone who met her liked her instantly. There was an extremely likeable quality about her, though Paige couldn't pin point exactly what it was. she was just the type of person that everyone loved, and she was extremely outgoing.

"Hey Melissa!" Paige greeted her best friend with a huge smile, trying to push all thoughts of Jack aside, and out of her mind. Nobody knew she liked him, and that was the way Paige intended to keep it.

Melissa's boyfriend, Tommy Ryan arrived shortly after Melissa herself. He was from Ireland, with a super cute accent and charming blue eyes.

The only person that appeared to be missing from their little group was Jack, and as hard as Paige tried, she just couldn't stop thinking about him. About what he might be doing at this very moment instead of hanging out with them. He had told them he was going to the library, but was he really? Or was he just using that as an excuse? An excuse to hang out with Rose.

Paige couldn't stand it anymore. She needed to know. "I'll be back." She announced to the group as she got to her feet. She had to know if Jack was with her right now. If he was, it was most probable that they were sitting in one of the hallways together. So, Paige roamed the halls, looking for the pair. She ended up going around the whole school, and didn't see a single sign of them. She supposed that meant Rose was in class, and that Jack really was in the library, which was a good thing. She felt satisfied knowing Jack hadn't lied to them. More specifically to her.

On her way back to the stairs, Paige decided to make her way to the washroom and see how she looked today. She entered the small room, which was empty, and checked herself out in one of the small rectangular mirrors placed above one of the many sinks.

Her shoulder length black hair was straight, and her eye makeup done to perfection. Her blue nose stud sparkled in the florescent lighting, and she smiled at her reflection, admiring her straight teeth. Apparently having braces as a child had really payed off. She was pretty, wasn't she? Why didn't Jack want her? Why on earth did he insist upon Rose? It was so unbelievably frustrating!

She trudged back towards the stairs, feeling slightly depressed. Why did Rose have to come to Chippewa Falls? Why couldn't she have stayed at her old school, in her old city with her old friends and probably many admirers. Why did she have to be so pretty? Why couldn't she just disappear, so Paige and Jack could be happy together? Questions like this and many more raced through Paige's mind. Questions that could not, and probably would not ever be answered.

Paige returned to Helga, Melissa, Tommy, and Fabri at the top of the stairs. Sure, she put a happy face on, she smiled, and laughed, and conversed, but she could not bring herself to stop thinking about Jack Dawson, and no matter what kind of happy façade she put on on the outside, on the inside, she was miserable.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N In response to some of your questions about if Cal will make any appearances in this story, he will be. (: It won't be for a few chapters yet, but don't worry! He will eventually be mentioned, and in some later chapters he actually comes into the story. I'm not going to tell you what part he plays yet though, because i don't want to give anything away. Thank you to all who have been reviewing, and i'm sorry if this chapter is a little slugish. It's one of those chapters that i wrote and rewrote and rewrote and it still doesn't quite seem right. But please, let me know if you like it. Enjoy! xx**

Chapter 5

**Paige**

Second period had just started and Paige was late.

Approximately ten minutes before first period had ended, Paige had excused herself from her friends once more, planning on going to see what Jack was up to in the library. However, once she got there, she couldn't seem to convince herself to go inside.

She stood just outside the double doors of the library for the next ten minutes, trying to be brave, trying to work up the courage to go inside, sit down next to Jack and hang out with him in a setting that he was comfortable in. To say the least, as the minutes ticked by and she kept glancing at her blackberry, she realised this wasn't going to happen, class was nearly over, and once second period began, she would have to go to class. She cursed her shyness as she hurried away from the library doors and back towards her locker.

As she made her way to her locker, the bell tolled signalling the end of first class. They only had 4 minute breaks in between classes, just enough time to grab your books from your locker and go to the washroom if you had to, and/or converse with friends for a few moments.

By the time Paige had reached her locker, which was at the opposite end of the school from the library, two minutes of break had already passed and she was running late. Of course, the way her luck was going that day, her lock, which usually worked fine decided to be difficult. It kept getting stuck and she had to try the combination four different times before it successfully opened. As she swung her locker door open, the bell tolled once again signalling the beginning of second period.

"Shit." Paige cursed as she quickly grabbed her books and slammed her locker door shut. She hurried off to room 205, her history class, which thankfully wasn't to far away from where her locker was located. Her history teacher was a huge grouch, and was always displeased when people were tardy to his class. She had never been late for his class before, but she had seen what he did when other students knocked on his classroom door late, and she wasn't looking forward to what was to come.

When she arrived at room 205, she couldn't believe her eyes. His classroom door which he usually slammed shut as soon as the bell tolled, was still wide open. It seemed Paige's luck was changing.

She raced into the room and glanced quickly over at the teachers desk, seeing that he was busy organizing a bunch of scattered papers, he didn't even seem to realise there was a bunch of students in his classroom waiting to be taught something about their history.

As she went over to her usual table and tossed her books down, she received the shock of her life. Jack was sitting at the table next to hers. She stopped abruptly staring at him, forgetting she should be taking her seat.

"Jack? What are you doing here?" She questioned, her eyebrows raised in surprise.

She was sure he had never been in her history class before. Considering how aware she was of him, she obviously would have remembered if he was.

"Oh, hey Paige. I didn't know you were in this class. I just got put here, I went and talked to the office earlier and told them I was tired of having two spares first thing in the morning, and since it's still pretty early in the semester, they put me in this class." Jack explained. "It was the only one available that didn't have its maximum number of kids, and I thought, why not? History could be interesting." Jack finished.

Paige had only caught bits and pieces of his explanation however. She had been to busy watching the way his lips moved to form his words, and thinking about what it would be like to kiss those perfect lips of his. She suddenly realised it had been silent for a few moments, and quickly pulled herself back into reality.

"Oh… that's…" She paused, not knowing how to end this sentence. If he hadn't distracted her with his perfect lips she would have been able to listen to what he was saying more closely and wouldn't be in this predicament. "Nice." She finally finished lamely. She didn't even know if what she said was a good response to what he had been saying, or if it even made sense, but she hoped it did.

Jack smiled up at her, his signature smile that Paige adored, showing his perfectly straight white teeth and making his beautiful blue eyes sparkle. Paige's heart beat quickened. God, why did he have so much power over her!? He was to beautiful. He didn't even realise what something like that simple smile did to her.

"So, were you going to sit down, or…?" Jack said with a little laugh.

That was when Paige realised she had been standing there like a statue for what had to be at least 5 minutes. "Oh! Right! Class. Sit." Paige replied as she pulled her chair back and sat down next to him. _Class? Sit? What the hell was that? It wasn't even a sentence._ She could have face palmed right then and there, but she didn't feel the need to embarrass herself any more than she already had.

Apparently Jack had found this amusing though, as he laughed loudly at her response.

The history teacher then approached the front of the classroom and told them all that he had a lot to catch up on with marking and other classes, so this would strictly be a work period to catch up on any missing assignments.

After this was said and everyone went about their business working and chatting, Paige managed to get a grip on herself, and get over her nerves. Seeing as Jack had just joined the class that morning and Paige had already handed in all of her assignments, they spent the entire class talking. The conversations they cooked up were fun and History flew by.

When the bell tolled signalling the end of class, Paige couldn't believe it had passed that quickly. She felt happy and fulfilled as she exited room 205 that morning. Jack had been extremely sweet, and nice, and funny, and she felt good about the direction they were heading with their friendship. Of course she wanted more than just friendship, but that would have to wait a little while longer.

Paige felt as though she was as light as a feather, floating in a gentle summer breeze. She was overjoyed, happier than she had been in a long, long time, that was, until she saw Jack in the company of Rose in the hallway.

A huge wave of jealousy washed over her, and her happiness disappeared so suddenly, it was as if someone had flicked off a light switch.

She couldn't stand to look at the two of them standing together, it hurt. She spun around quickly, jealousy being replaced by a new emotion, anger. She stalked off to her next class in the opposite direction.

But Paige's feelings for Jack were to strong, she would not give up. She would not give up on trying to make him hers. Melissa had once told her, if you want someone, chase them. Persistence always pays off in the end.

Paige knew Melissa was right. That was how her best friend had won Tommy Ryan's heart after all.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Big big thanks to all those who have been reviewing, and please continue to review and let me know what you think! Here's chapter 6, enjoy! xx**

Chapter 6

**Paige**

Paige was getting braver. As the weeks passed, her nerves that she had always had trouble controlling when she was around Jack were slowly disappearing, being replaced by complete confidence. Yes, she knew that Jack had a huge thing for Rose, everyone did. But, he technically wasn't with Rose yet. He was still single. So, obviously no rules applied to him. Paige could still flirt with him as much as her little heart desired, and that was precisely what she was doing.

She was trying to make it obvious about how she felt, but sometimes she wondered if he could even tell that she was flirting with him at all. Any other girl would have been able to see it, but she knew as well as every other girl on the planet that boys had a talent for being oblivious when it came to this sort of thing.

She would touch the chain that always hung around his neck and tell him how awesome she thought it was, while gently sweeping her fingers over his collar bone as she removed her hand from the chain.

She would compliment his taste in music, when she noticed one day that he was wearing a shirt displaying the name of one of her favourite bands. She would offer him her food, and take sips of his drinks without asking him, which he didn't seem to mind at all.

Just today during the lunch hour, she had been complaining about how she was cold because she had chosen to only wear a t-shirt to school that morning, (when really, her hoodie was sitting in her locker) so he had offered her his sweater, and naturally she had accepted it, for it was the whole point of her lying about not having one. To get an article of his clothing.

Often, it seemed that Jack knew she was flirting, and that he was even flirting back. She couldn't be entirely sure though, and because she couldn't be sure, she couldn't say anything.

She enjoyed wearing his sweater very much. It made her feel like she was his, like they were together, and she loved that feeling. It was amazing.

She was perfectly content now, sitting with Jack, Melissa, and Tommy in one of the hallways downstairs. They all had another spare this period, the one right after lunch.

Melissa was talking to Tommy, complaining loudly about how her little sister had stolen and torn apart her favourite blue hoodie out of jealousy and spite, all because Melissa was the better looking sister. Tommy, who looked like he wanted to burst out laughing at this, tried very hard to fake the right emotion of outrage that someone would do such a thing for such a stupid reason.

Paige looked over at Jack, who had pulled out his Ipod and was playing some sort of game.

Paige was continuously stealing glances at Jack's face when she was sure that Melissa or Tommy wouldn't notice, and when she was sure that Jack wouldn't catch her out of his peripheral vision.

She was still wearing his sweater. It smelled like him, so sweet. She loved his scent.

When the bell rang ending the period, Paige simply acted as though she had forgotten she was wearing it, in the hopes that she would get to keep it on her body for a little while longer.

It seemed to work, and Jack went off to his last class of the day. She was guessing he had just been to polite to say anything. Or, maybe… he didn't want to say anything, because he enjoyed the way it looked on her, and he wanted her to keep it a little while longer, just as much as she wanted to. Maybe he was hoping that when he did get it back, it would smell just like her, and he would like that.

Stop it Paige! She thought harshly to herself, abruptly snapping out of these thoughts. If you keep thinking this way, you'll only end up getting hurt…

**Jack**

Jack arrived at his last class of the day, which was English, and sat down at an empty table with a loud sigh. He didn't want to be here. This was the worst class of his whole day. He would rather be anywhere else in the world, anywhere else but here. He hated creative writing, simply for the fact that he wasn't creative.

It was an extremely small class as well, with only 14 people in it. To say the least it was very difficult to get away with not doing anything, because the teacher was never distracted by other students, and always had time to make her way around the entire room to everyone.

Jack suddenly received a message on his Ipod.

'Come help me! MATH SUX! I'm sitting in the upstairs hallway. -ROSE'

Jack's heart skipped a beat as he read this. Then, slipping his Ipod back into his jeans pocket, he went up to his teachers desk. He had to approach her carefully, this teacher was strict when it came to letting her students out of the classroom, even for a bathroom break.

"Excuse me, may I go to the washroom please?" Jack asked her politely, with the most charming smile he could muster up.

The teacher had been looking at him dreamily for a moment as he spoke, and once he had stopped, she looked at him blankly, as if all the information in her head was just gone. Finally, she said;

"Oh, my. Yes. Of course Mr. Dawson, but do hurry back."

"Yes ma'am." Jack replied, the smile never leaving his face.

Jack had never known what it was about him, but he always seemed to get what he wanted when he used that smile, so he used it to his advantage, as any teenage boy would.

He walked quickly and with purpose out of his classroom, down the hallway, up the stairs and towards the end of the upstairs hall.

There she sat, Rose. Jack swore to god she looked more beautiful every time he saw her.

Her legs were crossed, and her black binder and a few math books were scattered in a loose semi circle around her. She was reading from one of the text books, so she didn't seem to notice Jack quickly approaching. She also had an earphone in one of her ears, and her ipod was laying on the ground in front of her. She had this intense look of concentration upon her face, her brow creased, apparently trying very hard to understand whatever she was reading.

Jack sat down next to her. "What's up?" he greeted casually.

Rose's head snapped up from the text book, she clearly hadn't heard him approach. "Oh, hey Jackie!" She replied looking at him. "Nothing really… Math." She said slowly, as her gaze shifted back to the text book she had been reading in her lap.

"Math is really lame." Jack said with a smirk, grabbing the text book from her lap and slamming it shut before putting it down.

"Totally lame." Rose agreed with that gorgeous smile of hers, looking into Jack's eyes.

As Jack gazed back into Rose's big olive green eyes, a sensation began in his stomach that he didn't quite understand, but it sort of felt as though there were wings flapping against his insides.

Jack opened his mouth to say something else, when out of the corner of his eye he saw Paige appear out of one of the nearby classrooms, and to his horror, she was still wearing his sweater.

He was very alarmed by this, but his face didn't betray him, he still looked completely calm and collected. He just really hoped that Paige wouldn't make a big scene out of this. Another thing he desperately hoped was that when Rose saw Paige wearing it, that she wouldn't think there was something going on between himself and Paige, because there definitely wasn't. They were just friends, and nothing more.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N Big thanks to everyone who had been reviewing this story so far! I really appreciate all of the positive feedback. This chapters pretty short, but don't worry i'll be updating again soon! Enjoy ! xx**

Chapter 7

**Paige**

Paige walked out of her law classroom to go and use the washroom, still extremely overjoyed by the fact that she had, and was continuing to wear Jack's sweater. However as she closed the door to her law classroom the scene that awaited her eyes in the hallways stopped her dead in her tracks.

Jack and Rose were sitting on the floor together. Rose was talking a mile a minute about some really stupid subject, that was something to the effect of how she had gotten totally smashed at this out of control social last weekend or some shit like that, and Jack was staring at her like he was in love.

As though Rose held the sun in place in the sky, as though Rose was the centre of the universe. Of his universe. He was laughing, nodding, and smiling as she told her moronic tale.

Paige had never liked Rose to begin with, but now that she knew how Rose sounded when she spoke, and how stupid she actually was made Paige hate her with even more of a fiery passion.

Paige felt as though her heart had just dropped down into her stomach. A huge wave of jealousy mixed with disappointment washed over her, and suddenly she was furious. Completely furious. Outraged.

She hated seeing them together, knowing how very much Jack cared for Rose, and knowing how very little Jack cared for her.

Inspiration struck then. Paige would give Jack his sweater back now. She hoped that Rose would get mad. She wanted Rose to feel as furious as she felt at that very moment. She hoped that Rose would think because Paige had been wearing Jack's sweater, that there was something going on between them. She hoped that after she gave Jack's sweater back right in front of Rose, that Rose would think twice about Jack, and perhaps think that she was not the only person that Jack had feelings for.

Oh, how she hoped this would start some serious drama between the pair!

Paige casually strolled up to them. "Oh, hey, do you want your sweater back now?" Paige asked Jack sweetly, plastering a fake smile across her face.

She saw Rose look up at her, stopping mid-sentence, slightly confused.

"Uh, yeah, sure. If you want to give it back now." Jack replied coolly, without so much as a hint of any kind of emotion on his face.

Paige slowly shrugged out of it and handed it back to him.

"Thanks." He said, turning his attention back towards Rose, not even bothering to give Paige so much as a second look.

"So, anyway…" Rose continued on with her story as if Paige was no longer there, as if there hadn't been an interruption at all.

Paige felt her face grow hot. She felt humiliated. She had always thought that Jack had been so sweet, but he had just acted like a total jerk, as most boys often do in front of the girl they like.

She stormed away from them, not bothering to hide her anger in the hopes that Jack would notice, but he probably didn't.

When Paige arrived in the bathroom, it was silent. She checked all of the stalls just to be sure there was nobody in there. She then proceeded to lock herself into one of the stalls, and cried her eyes out for the next forty-five minutes.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N thanks to all those who have been reviewing! I really do appreciate reviews, so thanks! This chapter introduces Cal and the role he plays. It's another short chapter, and it's all Paige's POV once again, but don't worry! As i get deeper into the story we get more POVs. Eventually even Rose's POV will be incorporated into this story. Okay, here's chapter 8. Enjoy and let me know what you think! xx**

Chapter 8

**Paige**

The door to the girls washroom suddenly swung open and banged loudly against the wall.

Paige quickly drew her hand to her mouth to muffle the broken sobs that were escaping her lips. The last thing she needed was for someone to hear her crying, because then, chances were they were going to ask her what was wrong, and Paige couldn't even bear to tell her friends the truth about her feelings for Jack Dawson, never mind a random girl, or girls that would always be just another face in the hallway to her. So, she would have to make up some huge lie, and Paige just didn't have the strength to do that. She didn't really have the strength to do anything at all anymore. She was completely and utterly miserable and it was all Jack Dawson's fault.

Paige couldn't remember the last time she had locked herself into a bathroom stall at school and cried her eyes out, but since her feelings for Jack had emerged, and since Rose had moved to town, she had been doing it quite often.

"I don't know… do you think there might be something going on between the two of them?"

Paige heard a voice say, and she recognized the voice instantly. It belonged to Rose.

"Well, you said she was wearing his sweater… isn't that sort of a boyfriend girlfriend thing? Wearing each others clothes?" Another voice responded, a voice that Paige didn't recognize in the slightest.

"Yeah. It is. But, don't you think he would have told me if he was dating someone? We're like, best friends! A relationship is a huge thing to keep from a best friend!" Rose exclaimed, sounding slightly irritated.

It was completely silent for a few moments after this. Nothing more was said. It was so silent, that Paige wondered if Rose and her friend had left, but she hadn't heard the bathroom door open and close again, so they had to still be in the room.

Paige lowered her head to peak out under the stall door. She saw Rose's black converse sneakers, and another pair of feet decked out in hot pink skate shoes.

"Are you serious Rose? Are you actually serious right now!" The second voice exclaimed suddenly in a tone of utter disbelief.

"What?" Rose replied innocently.

"A relationship is something you don't keep from your best friend? Is that what you truly believe?"

"Of course it is. Best friends tell each other everything Janelle." Rose replied seriously.

"What the hell are you doing right now!" Janelle snapped.

"I'm not doing anything wrong!" Rose snapped back "just because I haven't told Jack-"

But Janelle cut Rose off mid sentence. "Can you not see how much Jack likes you Rose? Do you not see the way he looks at you? Are you really that oblivious?"

"Of course I'm not! Only a complete fool wouldn't be able to see the way that he looks at me." Rose replied defensively.

"Then you should already know that he wouldn't be with another girl. He wouldn't be with someone else and be looking at you the way that he does. You should also know that you can't keep doing this to him. I think the only reason you're even thinking he has a girlfriend is because you feel guilty. You need to either break up with Cal or tell Jack the truth. Tell Jack that you can never be with him that way, and that you don't want to. It'll break his heart but at least he'll know, and he can start to move on." Janelle told Rose seriously.

"But that's not fair!" Rose nearly shouted.

"Why not?"

"Because… because…" Rose stuttered, failing to provide her friend with an answer.

"Listen, life's not fair Rose. I know you like having Jack all to yourself, wrapped around your finger, but it's not fair to him. You're kind of leading him on. So make the decision."

With that, Paige heard the door swing open and shut once more, and the bathroom was silent.

She checked under the stall door once again, and there were no more shoes. She was alone.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N Once again my apologies. I very much neglected this story. I've written like 26 chapters for it, yet I've not updated in forever. I'm going to be getting back on track with this one as well. I've actually missed it, a lot. No more procrastination. I will always finish what I start, from now on. By the way thanks to anyone who has been reading this story, and thanks for the reviews! They truly make my day. Here's chapter nine!**

Chapter 9

**Paige**

Paige was having an extremely difficult time processing what she had just overheard. Rose had a boyfriend, that Jack didn't know about? So, that meant that Rose wasn't even available, and he was still spending every waking moment trying to make her his, when there was Paige, who was single, and available, and better for him than Rose in every possible aspect.

This pissed Paige off to no end. The feelings of hatred that she had always felt for Rose grew ten times stronger now that she knew the truth about her, and they seeped through Paige's entire body right to her very core. Her face felt like it was on fire, and she had the strong urge to scream her lungs out. The little twig in her brain was threatening to snap. She wasn't entirely sure how much more of this she could take.

Paige remembered that, once upon a time, she had been a happy person, so excited about life, living every single day to it's fullest, living everyday like it was her last. Always smiling, and laughing. She had changed. Ever since her feelings for Jack had developed, and especially since Rose had arrived in all of their lives. Now, she was constantly angry beneath the surface, filled with nothing but pure hatred driving her, hatred for Rose. She felt depressed when she saw Jack, knowing that it was most probably that he would never be hers. She was just miserable. Completely miserable.

A thought struck her, perhaps she should tell Jack that Rose was already taken, that she had been taken by another boy for quite some time now. Maybe, maybe Jack would be so grateful to Paige for telling him the truth, that he would suddenly realise his own feelings for her. That he would proceed to cut Rose completely from his life. That he would want nothing more to do with Rose. That his feelings for Rose would just disappear, and that Paige and Jack would then announce their love for each other to the world, riding off into the sunset on a black stallion, just like in the fairytales.

But, unfortunately as we all know, fairytales are not real, and Paige had a sneaking suspicion that if she told Jack that Rose had a boyfriend, he would end up just as angry with Paige as he would be with Rose, and he might never speak to her ever again. Or even worse, he might think that she was just lying to him, out of jealousy and spite, for it was pretty obvious to everyone how Paige felt about Rose, though they didn't quite know the whole story behind her feelings, and then, Jack might just completely cut her out of his life, and leave Rose in it.

That was definitely a scenario that Paige didn't wish to experience. Not at all. She had no choice in the matter, telling Jack the truth about Rose was definitely out of the question. She would just have to keep her mouth shut.

Paige heard the bathroom door swing open again. The legendary squeak had returned to it's hinges, she guessed it needed another oiling. She hoped someone would do that soon, the squeaking was rather annoying, but then again so were all of the girls that kept entering the room. How many more people would possibly be willing to use the school bathroom? Honestly. Couldn't anybody have a good cry these days, and feel depressed and alone in a school bathroom without being interrupted?

Paige peered under the stall door once again and recognized her best friend Melissa's purple sneakers. Relief washed over her instantly, and the anger that she had been feeling so strongly just a moment ago faded away at the very edges, just a smidge.

She unlocked the stall door as quietly as she could and slowly emerged into the open vast space of the washroom.

**Melissa**

Melissa wasn't paying attention to anything going on around her. She didn't feel she had to, that was why she had come to the bathroom in the first place, there was no one in here, so she wouldn't be distracted by the teacher in her classroom or other students as she looked down at her phone, answering a text message from Tommy. It was their 8 month anniversary today, and he had sent her a text asking what her plans were for that evening, and if she would like to go catch a flick.

Of course, she had responded with a yes. Who in their right mind wouldn't want to go see a movie? With their boyfriend? On their 8 month anniversary? Only a crazy person of course, who is in fact someone who is NOT in their right mind.

**Paige**

Paige could see Melissa looking down in one of the mirrors. She knew that Melissa didn't know, or realise that she was standing right behind her. Besides, she was probably 'sex'ting Tommy. Paige decided to make her presence known. She really needed her best friend right now.

So, she did what any normal person would do to get the attention that they desperately crave, and cleared her throat loudly.

**Melissa**

There was suddenly a loud coughing fit happening directly behind Melissa, and it startled her so much that she nearly jumped out of her own skin. Her Iphone went flying out of her hand and clattered to the floor loudly.

She swore she hadn't heard that damn squeaky door open and close. Or, had she been so engrossed in messaging Tommy back that she hadn't noticed? She spun around to see who it was, and discovered none other than Paige.

"What the fuck!" Melissa cried out. "Where the hell did you come from?"

"The stall." Paige replied simply, gesturing to one of the now empty ones behind her.

"Oh!" Melissa breathed. She knew she hadn't heard the bathroom door open. "Well you scared me half to death! Was the big coughing fit really necessary? Wouldn't a 'hey' or a 'sup' had sufficed?" She asked as she bent down to retrieve her phone from the floor.

"Maybe." Paige replied. "I was actually going to go with just a simple clearing of the throat, but then I thought, why not be a little more dramatic? This is high school after all."

Melissa thought about this reply for a moment while she checked over her phone for any cracks or scratches on the screen. It appeared to be unharmed.

"Makes sense." She finally said. "What were you doing in the stall anyway?"

**Paige**

This was the question Paige had been fearing from the moment she had told Melissa where she had come from. She didn't let that fear play upon her face though.

"Using the toilet. What else would I be doing in there?" She replied coolly.

At this response, Melissa developed a thoughtful expression upon her face, and was silent for a few moments, before finally saying; "point taken." with a grin.

Now, Paige knew that she wanted to tell Melissa something. Even just a small something. She needed to get some of these feelings off of her chest and out in the open. She also knew however that she couldn't tell Melissa that she had feelings for Jack Dawson. So, if she was going to complain about Rose Dewitt Bukator, which she very much wanted to, she would have to do so in a way that she wouldn't sound jealous. That way, Melissa wouldn't suspect a thing.

Deep down however, Paige knew she would never be able to get away with that, with the way she was feeling at the moment. So for the time being, she would just have to keep her vile thoughts about Rose to herself.

But then, then it came to her. A little light bulb went off in her head. She knew what she could tell Melissa.

"Yeah, I was in that stall for awhile actually. A good forty five to fifty minutes at least, because you know, my stomach was really bothering me and-"

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Melissa cried, cutting her off loudly. "Paige, I do NOT need to know the details!" She said, a slight look of horror upon her face.

"No! This isn't about what I did on the toilet! Ew!" Paige exclaimed in disgust.

"Oh thank god." Melissa began. "I mean, I know we're best friends and everything, but no one needs to be that close. No one."

"Listen! This is about what I heard while I was in here. Rose came in here with one of her friends, and, well, it's true what they say. A high school bathroom really is where all the gossips at."

"Rose Dewitt Bukator? The girl that Jack likes?" Melissa questioned curiously.

"The one and only." Paige replied bitterly.

Suddenly, she realised just how bitter she sounded, and she hoped desperately that Melissa wouldn't realise it as well.

Fortunately for Paige, Melissa didn't seem to realise it.

"So? What's the word? They together now? Her and Jack? Have they- Oh. My. God. They did it! They totally did it didn't they! They had sex and Rose is preggers." Melissa exclaimed in a rush.

"What? No! No! They're not together-" Paige tried to explain, but Melissa wouldn't seem to give her the chance, cutting Paige off and quickly jumping back to her own conclusions.

"So they're not together… But they had sex? Hooked up? Did the deed? Put a bud in the oven? Went downtown to-"

"NO!" Paige exclaimed loudly laughing, and cutting off Melissa before things got to carried away.

She loved Melissa. Melissa was the kind of friend that could always make you laugh, or smile, no matter how upset or angry you were.

"Would you just shh and listen?" Paige asked, still giggling.

Melissa, looking very confused indeed, made a zipper motion across her mouth and made like she was locking it and throwing away the key.

"Okay. So, here's what I heard. Rose had a boyfriend."

Melissa's jaw dropped.

"His name is Cal… and I'm guessing he goes to another high school."

"Rose has a boyfriend!?" Melissa exclaimed in complete shock. "But… Jack is like in love with her! Completely!"

"I know." Paige replied with a grimace. "And if we didn't know she was off the market-"

"Jack doesn't either." Melissa finished Paige's thoughts in a whisper.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N Hey guys! Just a quick note, the point of views fluctuate a lot in this story, but I hope you don't mind! It's just how I was writing it at the time. Also, there is quite a bit of offensive language in this story, just a warning! Here's chapter 10, to any of those still reading this fic, thank you! Much love ! xx**

Chapter 10

**Melissa**

Melissa was absolutely disgusted by the information Paige had just shared with her. It seemed that Rose had a boyfriend, but she hadn't told anyone about him. Not a single soul.

Now, every single person that attended the high school in Chippewa Falls knew that Jack Dawson had a huge thing for Rose, so obviously Rose herself had to have known it as well. Or, maybe Rose was just unbelievably stupid.

However, Melissa had seen the pair in the hallways on plenty of occasions, and she knew that even though Rose was definitely ditzy, and not to mention a little sluttish, she was far from stupid when it came to things such as relationships, and most importantly Jack Dawson.

Rose Dewitt Bukator was playing Jack like a deck of cards, and Melissa knew it.

She had only known that Rose had a boyfriend for approximately 30 seconds now, but she was a good judge of character, and this vital piece of information that Paige had just shared said a lot about Rose's character.

"She's a hoe." Melissa stated bluntly. A sad smile crossed her face as she continued. "She's playing him, and you know what? It actually makes me sad."

She meant it. It really did. Melissa had always liked Jack. He was quiet, and shy, but a good friend none the less, and she hated that her friend was being played. She hated the thought of how hurt Jack would be when he found out about this.

Paige remained silently, looking down at her sneakers.

"Rose already has a boyfriend. But, she's not an idiot, despite popular opinion." Melissa continued. "She knows Jack is gaga for her, and even though she's probably perfectly content with this Cal, she's using Dawson because she knows she can. She knows he'll do anything and everything for her. It makes me sick."

**Paige**

Paige took in every word Melissa was saying, and realised in a matter of seconds that she was right. Melissa was always right.

Melissa checked her Iphone. "I gotta go. Bell's gonna ring any second, and my luxurious job calls." She said sarcastically. "Text me!" With that, she exited the bathroom.

A few seconds after Melissa's exit, Paige heard the bell toll over, signalling the end of classes, and of another long day.

She left the bathroom feeling extremely heavy. As though there was a large weight dragging her down. There was also a feeling of tightness in her chest. At least now she would no longer have to paste that fake cheesy smile upon her face. School was finally done for the day, and she was finally free to go home, mope, be miserable, and feel extremely sorry for herself.

It seemed an eternity, but Paige finally managed to drag her heavy body through the back door of her split level house. She felt so tired, as though she hadn't slept in years. She headed straight to her bedroom, flopping down on her stomach onto her queen size bed.

Why was life being so difficult? Why couldn't things just be simple? Why couldn't Jack see that he had a girl who genuinely liked him, and was completely crazy about him, right in front of him. Literally right in front of him. Every single day. Why did he have to be in love with some stupid (yet somehow intelligent) hoe that was already taken and would only end up breaking his heart? Most importantly, why did Paige have these strong feelings for Jack? When had this all began? Paige didn't know. She couldn't remember when or how these feelings had began, all she knew was at that very moment she desperately wanted those feelings to disappear. For them to just go away, and make everything a hell of a lot simpler.

That night, Paige dreamt of Jack Dawson.

She dreamt about his blonde hair, his gorgeous ocean blue eyes, and his perfect face. His mouth pulled up at the corners with his beautiful smile.

"What are you smiling about?" Paige questioned him, a grin of her own slowly spreading across her face.

Jack's smile had always been contagious, at least to her.

"I don't know." He replied honestly. "I just feel so happy. I can't help but smile." He explained.

Paige felt extremely confused, and her smile changed, but only ever so slightly, from an open mouthed to a closed.

Jack was leaning in now, and Paige's heart began to race. She felt as though it might burst through her chest.

He was kissing her. It was a gentle and tender kiss, his warm perfect lips pressing against her own.

Paige kissed him back, without a moments hesitation. She locked her arms around his neck, and they were kissing. She was on cloud nine. This moment was positively perfect in every possible way.

Of course, that was where her perfect moment was cut short. For her alarm clock went off then, waking Paige suddenly from her slumber, and pulling her out of her dream world. It blared in her ear, welcoming her back to the real world in the cruellest of ways.

Paige slammed her palm down on the clock, stopping the wretched noise abruptly. She crawled out of bed that morning feeling angry and tired. Even in her dreams she could escape from Jack Dawson. If anything, he was more involved in her life when she was asleep, than when she was awake, and that very thought was extremely depressing.

Paige already knew before even exiting her bedroom to get ready that today would be the worst of all days. Sure, it was Friday, the weekend was upon her, and she should have been happy, delighted even, but she wasn't. She would never be happy until she had Jack Dawson to call her own, and that would simply never happen. Paige was destined to be completely miserable. For the rest of her life.

That afternoon, when Paige entered her Law classroom, she discovered that there would not be class, but that instead they would be going down to the gymnasium for a special presentation.

Of course, immediately her thoughts jumped to Jack. 'Yes! Maybe I'll get a seat next to Jack. Maybe I'll even get a chance to talk to him." She thought with excitement. She hadn't seen much of Jack all day, so she was quite looking forward to this.

When she arrived in the gymnasium, she scanned the entire room quickly. Jack didn't appear to be there yet, so she took a seat next to Melissa, who still had no idea, and was still completely in the dark about Paige's crush.

"Hey." Melissa greeted casually as Paige sat down.

"Hi." Paige replied somewhat distractedly, sweeping the gym with her eyes once more for any sign of the blonde haired blue eyed cutie. A horrible thought suddenly struck her, and she hoped to god that he wouldn't sit next to Rose.

And Suddenly, there he was. Striding through the gym doors, looking as unbelievably attractive as ever.

Paige's heart beat quickened as he made his way towards their group of friends, but just as quickly nearly stopped when instead of sitting next to her, he decided to sit up behind Melissa on the top part of the bleachers.

In that moment, Paige felt extremely hurt. Sure, Jack hadn't done it on purpose. He didn't know how she felt, and just how much it would have meant for him to decide to take a seat next to her, but none the less, it still cut her deep. She felt miserable again, and just wanted the day to be over.

Melissa and the rest of her friends were all chattering a mile a minute, but after what had just happened, and with how she felt now, she didn't much feel like taking any part in their conversations.

It wasn't until Paige nearly began bawling her eyes out it seemed that Melissa finally took notice of her best friends unhappy, moody appearance.

"Paige? What's wrong?" Melissa inquired, a concerned expression upon her face.

Paige just shook her head in response, as if to say 'nothing, I'm completely fine.' But she wasn't. She wasn't fine at all. She was scared that if she tried to speak the tears would spill over, and she was fighting so hard to keep them behind her eyes, she couldn't have that. Not at all.

"Don't lie to me Paige." Melissa said loudly. "I know something's wrong."

Paige just stared back at her best friend, still fighting to keep the tears from falling, her face crumpled with emotion and effort.

"Did someone do something to upset you? Was it Tommy?" Melissa questioned.

Paige, still unable to speak, shook her head no.

"Fabri? Helga? Jack?" Melissa reeled off the names of people.

Paige's mouth twitched as soon as Melissa had uttered Jack's name. Even though she was extremely upset about the entire situation, and everything that he was putting her through without even realising it, the very mention of his name still made her smile slightly. She continued to shake her head no however. She didn't want Melissa to know about her crush on Jack. She didn't want anyone to know about her crush on Jack. Ever.

"I saw a little smile there!" Melissa exclaimed victoriously. "So it is one of them."

Paige finally managed to regain her self control, and the feeling of wanting to cry seemed to disappear, at least for the time being, allowing her to speak. "No, it's not any of them."

"Then what?" Melissa questioned, clearly frustrated.

"Nothing. There's nothing."

"There must be something!"

"Yeah, you're right. But I'd rather not talk about it." Paige replied stubbornly.

Melissa sighed loudly, giving in. "All right."

For the next five minutes or so, it was completely silent between the two. There was nothing said, and during this time, Paige thought. She thought, and thought, and thought some more. She thought about as many things as five minutes allows a person to think about really.

She was having a huge inner conflict, but finally, she managed to make her decision.

Paige had to tell Melissa about her crush on Jack.

She just couldn't do this anymore. If she didn't tell someone, and let everything out, these feelings would end up killing her.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N Hey guys! Thank you so much for the reviews! They mean a lot, so keep 'em coming! :D . Not to worry, this story is far from over! Many chapters to come! I must warn you all once again there is some very strong and somewhat offensive language in this chapter! Other than that, enjoy and let me know what yah think! xx**

Chapter 11

**Paige**

"Melissa?" Paige finally said, breaking the prolonged silence, and tapping her friend lightly on the arm to recapture her attention.

Melissa turned back towards Paige.

"I have to tell you. Because it's literally killing me." Paige confessed.

"What? What is it?" Melissa asked, just as curious as before.

"I can't tell you here… there are to many ears." Paige replied, glancing around at everyone sitting around them.

"All right, let's go to the washroom then. Come on." Melissa said, grabbing her best friends hand, and dragging her along as they went.

**Melissa**

Melissa had known something wasn't right with Paige for awhile now. Her best friend just never seemed completely happy anymore, nothing like her old self, and she knew something was up. She had just been waiting for Paige to feel comfortable enough to tell her. They were best friends after all, and Melissa knew that she could help Paige through anything.

As she dragged her friend to the girls washroom, nothing was said between them, and that was just fine. Melissa would have her talking soon enough.

They reached the large wooden bathroom door with the girl symbol on it, and Melissa pushed on it, but it didn't budge. She let go of Paige's arm and tried with both hands this time. The door still didn't move an inch.

"Oh my fucking god." She muttered. Then, she began banging on the large wooden door with both fists, making as much noise as was humanly possible.

Now, Melissa, being the impatient person that she was, began to get quite irritated when after 30 seconds of pounding nobody unlocked the door. She now began kicking the door as well, alternating between left and right foot in order to keep her balance while continuing to pound with both fists.

**Paige**

Paige truly admired her best friends efforts to get them into the girls bathroom, and she couldn't help but giggle as she watched Melissa continue to kick and pound on the bathroom door. The noise might have seemed ten times louder than it actually was, because the school was completely silent. Everyone was at the assembly.

"I know somebody is in the bathroom! So stop fucking ignoring me and open up this god damn door!" Melissa suddenly screamed, making Paige jump.

Melissa was quiet for a moment, just in case the person, or persons inside the bathroom decided to respond. When they didn't however, Paige was the first and only one to witness the pure anger that blazed in Melissa's bright blue eyes, and she wondered idly what her best friend was going to do now.

**Melissa**

Melissa had absolutely had it with the bitch, or bitches that were in the schools bathroom. What if someone had to genuinely use the toilet? Seriously! This was the only girls bathroom in the god damn school. Who did this hoe think she was? Boy was Melissa glad she had decided to wear her platform boots to school today. She raised her knee high and booted the door as hard as she possibly could. As soon as she had done this she felt Paige grab hold of her arm.

"Melissa! What are you doing!"

"I'm getting into this bathroom." Melissa replied, and with one final boot, the heavy door flew open and banged loudly against the bathroom wall.

Melissa looked around furiously, and was shocked to find that it appeared to be completely empty. The bathroom was silent, not a girl in sight. "Why the hell would the door be locked if no one was in here? This makes no sense." Melissa stated, angrily. She spun around to face Paige, who looked just as confused as Melissa felt.

Then, remembering the reason the two girls had left the gym to come to the bathroom in the first place, she said, "Ok Paige. What's up? Spill the beans."

**Paige**

Paige sighed loudly. She knew that ultimately, telling Melissa about her feelings for Jack would make her herself feel about a thousand times better, but yet she was afraid. Afraid that Melissa would judge her severely for liking a boy like Jack Dawson, even though he was both of their friends. Afraid that Melissa would think she was out of her mind, had lost her marbles, and her sanity completely.

Melissa was staring at her intently, waiting for the big reveal. Her blue eyes filled with nothing but curiosity.

"Melly," Paige began, using her best friends nickname, in the hopes of softening her up. Wait, softening her up? For what? It wasn't like Paige had committed a serious crime, or even any crime at all, and Melissa was not the judge. But for some reason, under the microscope of her best friends expectant stare, that was exactly how Paige felt. "I've liked someone. For a long time now… A few months actually." Paige began, watching Melissa's face carefully.

Melissa smiled, which seemed odd. Why would she be smiling?

"Is it Tommy?" Melissa asked her lightly, the smiling remaining upon her face.

Paige snorted loudly, "No! No. Definitely not Tommy."

Melissa's smile instantly disappeared. "Well why not? Is he not attractive enough for you or something?" She demanded, a hint of anger in her tone.

Paige looked at Melissa with an expression of utter disbelief. "Melly, are you seriously upset that your best friend isn't attracted to your boyfriend of 8 months?"

Melissa stared at Paige for a moment, silent, before bursting into a fit of giggles. "You're totally right. I'm being silly. It's just, I wouldn't blame you if you did have a thing for Tommy. He's one sexy beast."

Paige rolled her eyes with a smile.

"And, quite a handful in the bedroom if I do say so myself." Melissa added with a wink.

"Ugh! To much information!" Paige exclaimed, laughing.

Melissa smiled in response, "so, who is the lucky guy that has caught Paige Thompson's attention?" She questioned, the curiosity still positively blazing in her bright blue eyes.

This was it. It was now, or never. This was Paige's opportunity, her opportunity to not feel so alone, to no longer feel quite as miserable.

Paige drew in a deep calming breath. "It's Jack." She confessed.

Now, the reaction that Paige expected out of Melissa was a dropping of the jaw, a 'wtf' expression, and/or a sudden exclamation of 'You mean Jack Dawson! Why?' But, none of these things happened. Instead, an expression of understanding washed over Melissa's face.

"You like Jack! Yes. It all makes sense now! You've been trying to spend so much time with him lately, I was actually beginning to wonder if you guys were secretly dating."

Paige looked at her best friend sadly. "I wish. Melly, Jack's not interested in me that way. And I don't think he ever will be."

"You don't know that Paige! Not if you haven't told him how you feel! And I know you! I know you haven't, because when you like someone, you never tell them. How do you plan on making Jack your man if you're not going to tell him how you feel about him?"

"That's easy. I don't." Paige replied.

Melissa looked irritated now. "Why the hell not?"

"Three simple reasons. Number one, rejection. Two, if he doesn't feel the same way about me, which I know he doesn't, at all, it could ruin our friendship. And finally, three, my all time favourite reason, Rose Dewitt Bukator."

At the mention of Rose's name, Melissa's irritated expression immediately changed to one of complete understanding. "Rose. Jack is in love with Rose. I'm sorry Paige I totally forgot that-"

"Whatever Melly. It's all good." Paige responded, cutting Melissa off. "I just had to tell someone about my feelings for him. It doesn't mean I expect anything to change. Well, other than my level of misery. At least with you in the know, I can vent my feelings to someone."

"That's true," Melissa replied. "But I still think you should tell Jack how you feel. It might make you feel even better if you tell him. Plus, at least then you'll know for sure if he feels anything for you at all, other than just friendship. If he doesn't, you can begin the process of moving on. But you'll never be able to get over him, and you'll never be happy with yourself unless you know for sure."

Paige sighed loudly. "I guess you're right. Do you really think I should tell him? Soon I mean."

**Melissa**

Melissa nodded her head vigorously. "I really do."

It was at this moment that the stall door directly behind Paige swung open, and Melissa's eyes widened in horror as she saw who the occupant was. It was none other than Rose Dewitt Bukator.

"You'll do no such thing." Rose stated loudly, causing Paige to jump and spin around to face her.

"Rose?" Paige exclaimed, her face turning beet red. "How long have you been-"

"Ever since the two of you sauntered in here. Before that even actually, but that doesn't matter. I knew it! I knew there was something going on between you and Jack! You've been following him around like a lost puppy dog for weeks now. I knew you had a thing for him. But guess what Paige. Jack DOESN'T have a thing for you. He likes me." Rose yelled in Paige's face, her shrill voice echoing off of the bathroom walls.

Melissa had a feeling it was time to interfere, before things got out of control. She stepped in between Rose and Paige, forcing them to take a step back from one another.

"Rose, I strongly suggest that you shut the fuck up, and get the fuck out." Melissa told Rose calmly.

She knew how much Paige hated Rose, and since she had been told how Paige felt about Jack a few minutes earlier, she now felt that Paige had a very good reason to hate Rose. However, Melissa knew very well that Paige wouldn't do anything about her strong feelings of hatred towards Dewitt Bukator. She just wasn't that kind of person. Therefore, Melissa would have to do something for her.

In all honesty, Melissa had never particularly liked Rose either. She had always thought that Rose was kinda a bitch, but now, now that she knew as much as she did, she understood just how much of a bitch Rose really was. Well, guess what? Melissa could play the role of bitch too.

Rose glared at Melissa darkly. "You can't make me!" She spat venomously. "And you!" she screamed again at Paige. "YOU STAY AWAY FROM MY JACKIE! MY JACKIE!"

Melissa turned to face Paige for a moment, to see what her reaction to Rose's words would be. Paige, looked as though she was about to burst into tears, and that sight pushed Melissa closer to the edge of losing her self control. She would no longer be dealing with Rose calmly, nor politely. "Get out." Melissa said fiercely.

**Rose**

Rose was pissed off. She had know all along that this stupid Paige girl, one of Jack's so called best friends, had been in love with him. She had known it from the moment she had seen Paige in the hallway that one day prancing around in his sweatshirt. When Rose had talked to her best girlfriend Janelle about her suspicions yesterday in this very washroom… they had been correct.

Well, there was absolutely no way that Paige was ever going to get Jack. Although Rose had already decided that she would be continuing her relationship with her boyfriend Cal, she couldn't bear to have Jack out of her life. Not because she didn't want to break Jack's heart. Rose truthfully couldn't care less about Jack's feelings, or his stupid heart, even though that had been the reason she had given Janelle.

No, the real reason that she didn't want Jack out of her life, was because she knew she could make him do absolutely anything she wanted. Anything. She could see it in his eyes. She knew how much he loved her, and she knew she could use this very much to her advantage, in so many ways, without even having to care about him back.

All Rose had to do was act like she cared about Jack, even though she didn't. Really, she cared about and loved Cal.

Rose had always been told by dramatic arts teachers that she was an amazing actress and performer, but with this whole 'Paige loving Jack' thing, this could ruin everything. And that scared Rose.

If Paige did tell Jack how she felt, and Jack realised that he felt the same way for her, there was a good chance that he would grow tired of waiting around for Rose herself to show some major serious interest, and then… then the putty in her hands would be gone. Forever.


End file.
